Knope and change: A tribute to the women of urban sustainability, inspired by Parks and Rec

At Grist, we love Parks and Recreation . The show is brilliant and funny — and we especially admire protagonist Lesley Knope. As played by Amy Poehler, the wonderfully multidimensional Knope makes mistakes, but in the end she always manages to pull the Parks Department together to get the job done. And no one loves her hilarious, flawed city more than she does. In fact, the way we see it, we could all use a little more Knope in our cities. So over the next few months, we will introduce you to the real-life Lesley Knopes of the world: the female city officials who work hard to make their cities more sustainable. Even if Parks and Recreation isn’t your speed, you’ll get a fresh look at the women on the ground fighting to implement real change in our urban environments. Gayle Prest: “It’s OK to be nice.” Episode 1 features an edited conversation with Gayle Prest, sustainabili...